The Stars are Calling
by Ryft Darkpaw
Summary: The stars are calling They look down from above Always there, never changing Through heartbreak, through love. Spyro has just rescued Cynder, and the time of peace has come...for now. Darkness lurks around the bend. What will he do to protect his friend?
1. Chapter 1

This takes place after ANB but before TEN, just to clear things up.

**A brand new start, a new tale to be told. Welcome, I am your host today and it will be my pleasure to entertain you. I present to you a tale of young love and of adventure. Daring and danger await our young friends in this story that i shall weave for you. Discovery, heartbreak, and harrowing escapes are what you can look forward to. Come, join the dragons in their realm and see what it is that i speak of. Join me and i will take you on a journey through the worlds to the Dragon Realms. **

**A voice sounds from the black around us. The stillness penetrated. The stars are calling and I shall answer.**

**The Stars are Calling**

Spyro gazed across at the black dragoness, watching her fight against the training dummies in the practice room. She attacked them with a graceful flare, dancing around them before tearing them apart with a quick tail blade slash or a claw swipe. Two other young dragons were in the training area, but Spyro paid no attention to them. His focus was on the dragoness he had rescued days ago. She quickly finished off the two remaining dummies in the area before her and she turned to glance over at Spyro, a smile gracing her features.

"Spyro! Pay attention young dragon!" Ignitus yelled out at him for the fifth time in the past hour. Spyro whipped his head back around to face the fire Guardian and mumbled an apology

"Sorry, Ignitus." The purple dragon returned his attention to his lesson.

"No you are not. You have been disregarding my lessons quite frequently young dragon, now what is so interesting that keeps drawing your attention?"

Spyro felt the blood rush to his face, not wanting to tell the Guardian that it was Cynder. Beside him, his foster brother, Sparx the dragonfly, floated up to eye level with the red dragon.

"Well you see, Ignitus, our little Spyro here was-" Spyro leapt up and smacked Sparx away with his claw.

The purple dragon quickly made up an excuse. "I was thinking about what happened with the Dark Master. Why did he go mad?"

Ignitus let one of his warm smiles come to his face. "Well, young one. I will excuse your actions this once, for the question is one relevant to my teachings. Malefor, being the first purple dragon, was confused with his power, and with confusion came desire. Desire for more overtook him and he was driven to learn all that he could from the Elders. Once he could get no more from them, he abandoned them, searching for a way to gain more. This led him to the darkness. You see, Malefor…" his words faded form Spyro's hearing as the purple dragon's thoughts turned again to Cynder. He resisted the urge to look over at her, for he knew that it would result in yet another scolding from his mentor. He sat out the remainder of his lesson and as soon as he was dismissed, ran to the inner courtyard where he knew that the black dragoness would be. She was there every day after her training.

As he approached the courtyard, one of the other dragons residing at the temple stepped forward to stop him. It was the earth dragoness Lucresi. She blocked his path and stared him straight in the eye. A grin broke out across her lips and she asked him a question, one that he was not expecting. "Have you seen Drifton? He left the training area pretty quickly when he was done."

Spyro smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry Lucresi, I haven't seen him since then. If I do see him, do you want me to tell him you're looking for him?"

The dragoness sighed and moved out of his path. "No, that's okay. Thanks anyway Spyro." She disappeared down another hallway, leaving Spyro alone with his thoughts.

He quickly made his way into the courtyard and spotted his reason for coming to this place. There, sitting off to the side of the cobblestone courtyard, was Cynder, staring into the night sky. Spyro cautiously padded to her side, plastering a grin on his face as he approached her.

"Mind if I join you?" Spyro asked as he stood beside her.

The black dragoness turned to look at him, the same smile as from before reappearing. "I don't mind, Spyro."

He sat next to her, looking up at the stars with her. She sighed, her voice growing soft, almost mysterious. "Aren't they amazing, Spyro?"

He nodded, his voice growing quiet as well. "They are. I feel so calm when I look at them."

"Yeah….they're the only thing that kept me going all those years." Cynder sighed again, her memories returning to haunt her once more. Spyro could tell; because every time they did, a far off look came into her eyes and she grew distant. Spyro moved in front of her and gazed into her eyes, asking the question he wished to every time he saw her like this.

"Are you sure you're okay, Cynder? You don't look well." Spyro's expression became one of concern.

Cynder chased the thoughts away at the sight of the purple dragon, her smile returning. "Thanks for the concern Spyro, but I'm fine." She felt strange feelings well up within her and she felt blood rushing to her face, but her black scales prevented the red from showing through. Nervousness prevailed over her courage and she hurriedly excused herself from his presence. "I'm sorry, but I'm very tired. Good night Spyro." She rushed from the courtyard and made her way to the room she had been given upon coming back to the temple with Spyro.

It was dark within and she walked over to the large window situated on the far wall. She pulled back the hanging curtains draped over the opening, letting the soft light from the stars and moon illuminate the room. She sat at the window, directing her gaze up at the dark night sky. Her gaze lingered on the almost full moon, her thoughts turning unbidden to Spyro. _Why am I thinking of him? _She wandered her room and ended up lying on her bed with her head on her crossed paws._ Sure, he saved me, and I'm grateful for that. But what are these other feelings?_

Meanwhile, Spyro returned to his room as well, staring out the already open window to the river below. He slammed his tail on the ground in anger, the aggravated motion drawing the attention of the golden dragonfly who shared the room with him. "What's the matter, buddy?" Sparx asked him.

Spyro spun around to face him, his expression advertising his aggravation. 'Why can't I do it, Sparx? Why can't I tell her?"

Sparx threw a thumb over his shoulder. "You mean the dragoness of doom? Well, look at her. She's pure evil man, that's why."

The purple dragon growled dangerously and lunged at his foster brother, pinning the dragonfly to the ground beneath his claws. "Never, EVER, say that about her again. She is NOT evil. She's the most beautiful creature in the Realms, and there's nothing evil about her."

Sparx threw his hands up over his head. "OK! Sorry. Jeez don't bite my head off." He squirmed out from beneath Spyro's claws and floated over to his small pad in the corner, mumbling about how she tried to kill him, and how he couldn't believe that Spyro liked her. The dragonfly settled down a bit and soon snoring reverberated through the room.

Spyro tried to sleep, but he could not, thoughts of Cynder running rampant across his mind and keeping him awake. From his spot on his bed, the purple dragon glanced out his window, up at the stars, the sight of the twinkling objects soothing his whirling thoughts. _Cynder…when will you know? When will I gather myself enough to tell you? I want to be there for you…don't push me away. _His eyelids drooped and he was soon asleep, the black dragoness's name foremost in his thoughts.

His eyes snapped open the next morning as sunlight poured through the window beside his bed. He glanced around the room and noticed that Sparx was gone. _He probably went to get some breakfast with Lucresi. _Sparx had taking a liking to the earth dragoness and hung around her almost as much as he did with Spyro. The purple dragon grinned and stood up, stretching out his stiff limbs on his bed. He leapt to the floor and left his room, walking down the hall and past Cynder's room. Before he reached the black dragoness's room, though, she strode into the hallway and heading, Spyro guessed, towards the garden. He ran to catch up with her. "Cynder! Wait up!"

She turned around and smiled when she saw the purple dragon running towards her. "Good morning Spyro. How are you?"

Spyro slowed down to walk beside her, his grin remaining in place. "I'm great, how about you?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking." An awkward silence ensued, but neither minded, the other's presence leaving them at ease. An idea formed in Cynder's head to spend some time with the dragon beside her and so she asked, "Hey, Spyro?" He turned to face her. "You want to join me in the garden for a bit?"

The grin on his face could get no bigger. He beamed at her as he nodded. "Of course I do. That sounds great!"

They continued walking in silence until they reached the door to the garden, where Terrador was standing guard. He smiled at them and rumbled, "Where do you two think you're going? Breakfast is that way."

Cynder shot the Guardian an odd look and lied. "We already ate. We were gonna go for a walk."

The Earth dragon laughed. "Okay, just don't wander too far!"

"Don't worry, we won't," promised Spyro.

The two dragons strode past the Earth Guardian and out into the morning sun. The light hit them, reflecting of their scales and warming their bodies. They made their way to a tree at the far end of the large area and both lay down in the shade. With a sigh, Cynder lay down on the soft grass, absentmindedly leaning against Spyro.

The purple dragon's heart leapt as she leaned on him, his mind beginning to race. Was this the right time? Should he tell her now? He gathered his courage together from within himself and he turned to face her. "Cynder, there….there's something I need to tell you."

Cynder felt herself nearly jump, her own thoughts whirling around in her skull. Spyro continued. "Cynder, I…I think I'm in love with you."

Spyro felt immense relief when he got those words out, but the feeling was immediately shattered by her reaction.

She got up and gave him a confused look, as if he had a second head. "Spyro…I don't know what to say to that…I'm…I need some time to think. I'm sorry Spyro." She ran off and Spyro was left alone once more.

Spyro sighed and dropped his head to his paws. He had been so sure that she felt the same way, what had gone wrong? Did he say something wrong? Nothing seemed right anymore and Spyro wished it all would go away. But, reality had other plans for him, as Lucresi approached him as he lay there, dejected. Her smile grew concerned at his forlorn expression and she quickly voiced a question.

"Spyro are you okay? What happened?" She stepped closer to him and he sighed again. He made no answer; he just wanted her to leave.

_Go away!_ He screamed in his head, but did not want to be so rude. Instead, he remained silent.

The earth dragoness moved closer to him and whispered, "It's Cynder isn't it? I saw her walking out just a moment ago, she looked confused. What did you say to her?"

Spyro's head shot up and he growled at her. "That's none of your business, Lucresi."

"Ah, so that's what it was…." She let her expression soften and she looked him in the eye. "Don't worry, Spyro. She'll come around. Just give her time.'

Spyro's depression lifted slightly at her words and he smiled. "Thanks. I needed that."

Lucresi grinned at him. "No problem Spyro! I hate seeing dragons depressed like that. Anything I can do to help I will." She walked away leaving Spyro with a happier disposition. As she padded through the grass, the green dragoness glanced around, searching for the dark yellow dragon that had been her original reason for coming to the garden. _Where are you Drifton?_

She didn't see him in the garden and moved on to the courtyard. She saw him sitting next to Cynder, talking with the black dragoness. Lucresi sighed. She knew that Drifton liked Cynder, but also knew that nothing would come of it. Cynder liked Spyro, she could see it in the dragoness's actions, and it was fairly obvious. She sat down and waited for them to be done. As she waited, Sparx came up beside her and she smiled at him. "Hi Sparx. How are you?"

Sparx smiled back and responded, "I'm pretty good, thanks." He turned his gaze to Drifton and Cynder and scowled. "That Cynder….she gives me the creeps. Why is Drifton talking to her?"

Lucresi sunk to her belly and crossed her paws. "He thinks that she likes him back, even though she doesn't. I just wish he could see that."

Sparx nudged her with an elbow. "Something tells me you got the hots for a certain lightning dragon." The earth dragoness giggled and made a playful swat at the dragonfly, which he easily avoided. "So I'm right?"

She nodded, confessing her attraction to the dragon. "Yeah, I like him a lot."

The dragonfly dropped to her shoulder, looking around the courtyard, as if looking for someone. Lucresi sighed again and lowered her head to her paws, watching the dragon she had feelings for converse with Cynder.

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The day passed quickly, and soon the evening lessons were drawn to a close, each Guardian training with a different student than the day before. Spyro was worn out from the intense regiment that Terrador always put him through and he wanted his bed. He trudged through the hallways, his paws feeling heavy as he walked. Traveling the short distance from the training area to his room took longer than he wanted but soon enough, he was standing before his quarters. He sighed with relief and strode through the door. He jumped straight onto the bed and lay down to sleep. He felt the comfort of slumber overtake him, but was brought out of it again sooner than he had hoped. A voice called out to him, quiet but familiar. As he slowly came back into wakefulness, it called again.

"Spyro, are you awake? I need to talk to you." Spyro knew the voice, but as his mind was still sluggish from sleep, he could not place it. He raised his head and opened his eyes, rubbing them to clear his vision. Standing at his door, was Cynder.

"Cynder, what are you doing up this late?" Spyro glanced out the window and saw how far the moon had risen. It had to be around midnight.

The black dragoness pushed his door open a little farther so she could come in. "I couldn't sleep, Spyro. I was thinking of what you said earlier." She crossed the room and jumped onto the bed to sit beside the purple dragon. "It caught me off guard and I needed time to organize my feelings. I wasn't sure of them is all. But now I am sure. I…I love you too Spyro."

Spyro almost cried in joy. _Thank the Ancestors! _He scrambled to a sitting position and faced her with a smile. Her head was hanging and her eyes were teary. Spyro lifted her muzzle with his and gazed into her watery eyes. "Don't cry, Cynder. It's all right, I'm here. We're together now, that's all that matters." He wiped her tears away and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Now you must be tired. Sleep, I'm here."

Cynder curled up on the covers and Spyro wrapped his wing around her. For the first time, the two dragons fell asleep together.

**Laters!**


	2. Saved

**Hello again, and welcome back. We join our friends once more. We have been introduced and now we assume the roll of observer once more. let us see what they're up to. Enjoy! R&R!**

**Saved  
**

Trees whipped by her as she hurled her body through the forest, terror giving haste to her steps in her desperate flight. Fear pulsed through her veins with every crash that sounded from behind her, creating a hectic mindset for her headlong dash from danger. She risked a glance over her shoulder, spying the horrifying creature that pursued her weaving through the branches and underbrush, quickly gaining on her. Bringing her attention back in front of her, she urged her feet to go faster, the muscles in her legs already burning from overexertion. She made a quick turn and burst out into a large clearing, a small pond sitting to one side of the grassy area. She glimpsed the creature break through the tree line seconds after her and she knew there was no escape. Suddenly, a dark yellow flash from beside her caught her attention. A voice broke through her muddled thoughts, yelling a warning. "Look out!"

She felt something smash into her side and she flew into the pond, taking a deep breath of sweet oxygen just before crashing through the glistening surface of the water. She felt her muscles tense up, and she couldn't move. After a minute or so, her lungs began to scream for air and she forced her feet and wings down, pushing her to the surface. When her head rose out of the water, she gasped a few breaths, filling her deprived lungs with life giving air. As her heart rate slowed from the horrifying experience, She glanced around the serene clearing, all traces of the creature and her savior gone. She crawled onto the bank of the pond and collapsed, her legs giving out as tears began to flow down her face.

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Cynder awoke with a smile on her muzzle, feeling Spyro's wing lying across her body and his form pressed to hers. She sighed and snuggled down into the covers a bit more, not wanting this moment to end. Spyro shifted beside her, groaning as he moved in his sleep and Cynder rolled over to look at him. He had a peaceful look on his face and Cynder let another sigh escape her. He was hers now, and she was his. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek, making him grin in his sleep. His eyes cracked open slightly and he growled softly when he saw her watching him.

"Good morning, beautiful. How did you sleep?" He gazed deep into her sapphire eyes and she smiled at the tenderness in his voice.

"Better than ever. I'm glad I made my decision last night. I never want to sleep alone again." She squirmed against his chest and he ran a claw down her back.

"Now you don't have to. I'll always be there for you." They lay in each other's embrace until the rays from the sun spilled in through the window onto the two lovers. Spyro groaned and sat up, removing himself from Cynder's embrace and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She sat up as well, stretching out her stiff limbs as she stood to her paws. The black dragoness grinned at Spyro and leapt down to the ground, waiting for him to follow her. Spyro mimicked her movement and they strode out the door, moving into the empty hallway that lay beyond it.

As they moved down the corridor, Spyro let his tail intertwine with hers, drawing a contented sigh from the dragoness beside him. Both were hungry and with an unspoken message transferred between the two with a glance, they navigated through the temple towards the kitchens.

After a quick meal, the two knew that it was time for their morning lessons and they ran quickly to the training area so as not to be late and have to give an explanation. But surprisingly, the large room was empty. The guardians were strangely absent from the arena, as well as the other two dragons who trained with them. Cynder looked around and then turned to Spyro, a concerned look covering her features.

"Where is everyone?" Cynder moved throughout the abandoned training room, letting her gaze wander over everything within. "We aren't early, are we?"

Spyro shook his head. "No, we're here at the right time…just nobody else is it seems."

That moment, Cyril appeared in the doorway behind them. He was breathing rather heavily, like he was running around. "There you are. Both of you, come with me, quickly."

Confused beyond words, both dragons followed the ice Guardian into a gathering of the Guardians being held in the courtyard. Spyro looked around at the stern faces, and concern mounted within his mind.

He glanced over at Ignitus and asked, "What's going on? Where's Lucresi and Drifton?"

The fire dragon sighed and spoke softly to them. "They had an early morning scouting assignment, and they haven't returned. We decided to send both of you, along with Cyril, to find them. Stay together, and may the Ancestors look down on us with favor this day." The other three guardians disappeared back into the temple, and Cyril unfurled his wings, turning to the younger dragons.

"Stay close, young ones." He brought down his large wings and lifted into the air, closely followed by both Spyro and Cynder, and the three flew out of the courtyard and into the wilderness beyond. They flew for hours, seeing nothing within the large expanse of both swamp and forest the lay outside the temple walls, until Spyro felt something nagging his mind and he listened to the small feeling and looked down at a large clearing in the trees below. He spotted the sunlight glistening off of what looked like scales and he called out.

"Cyril, I think I see something down there!" Cyril looked to where the purple dragon indicated and the three dove towards the shine. They alighted upon the soft grass, seeing that Spyro had been right. There, lying by the pond was Lucresi, sobs wracking her body. Cynder ran over to her side.

"Lucresi, what happened? Where's Drifton?" Cynder leaned down closer to the earth dragoness.

Lucresi looked up at them with tears streaming down her scales. "They took him. They were after me, and he saved me but they took him!"

Cyril moved closer to her as well, speaking in a soothing voice. "Who took him young one?"

She shook her head, tears flying from her cheeks. "I don't know, I really don't know…I-I think they were with the Dark Master though….I was so scared." She shakily got to her feet and her tears began to slow. "We have to go after him, I…. I don't want to lose him!"

The ice Guardian raised his wings again, ready to take to the air. "No, first we must take you back to the temple. Come, follow us."

She reluctantly allowed them to guide her back to the temple and when she got there, she collapsed against the ice dragon, her energy gone. The other Guardians joined them and soon they were discussing what to do.

"We need to do something! We can not let the Dark Master have another dragon." Terrador rumbled at the others.

Ignitus nodded. "Yes, we must do something, but we are much to old to be traipsing about the realms searching for Malefor's forces. I'm afraid that we must send the young ones to do this."

"No! they are not ready to face him." Cyril argued.

"We have no other option, Cyril. And have you already forgotten how Spyro saved all of us before?" Volteer pointed out.

The ice dragon shook his head adamantly. "But Spyro has not yet regained his powers, he wouldn't stand a chance!"

Spyro stepped forward and cleared his throat, looking around at the elder dragons. "If I may, umm…I did recover my fire powers…I can feel them all returning, slowly."

Ignitus smiled at the purple dragon. "Then it is settled, Spyro, we are giving you the task of finding Drifton and rescuing him. Lucresi and Cynder shall accompany you."

"Ignitus, are you mad?" Cyril glared at the fire dragon. "Sending Cynder back to the enemy? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, my friend, I have not. I trust her." Ignitus turned to Cynder. "You are strong, young dragon, and you must help Spyro in this. Don't give up. It's all up to you three now. We're counting on you."

**Eyes turn to Spyro once more to save them from disaster. The purple dragon is up to bat again, will he succeed? or will it all be for naught? only i know....**

**Laters!  
**


	3. The Search Begins

**Here we go again, and this one made me feel just slightly evil. But we must press onwards with hope in our hearts and our friends on our minds. As long as there is life, there is hope. Now, on to the next installment of The Stars are Calling... Enjoy! R&R!**

**The Search Begins**

Spyro, Cynder, and Lucresi drifted through the air south from the temple, making their way across the wilderness in the direction signified by Ignitus. Spyro was in a good mood, for some unknown reason and so he began to hum as they flew. Cynder noticed this and smiled, feeling strangely happy as well. And idea crossed her mind and she grinned mischievously, performing a barrel roll as she sped over Spyro's head, lightly clipping the back of the dragon's head with the blunt edge of her tail.

Spyro turned his head just slightly, enough to allow him to glare at Cynder until he saw her playful expression; her eyes dancing and her grin devious. He growled low and dove after her, a smile flitting about the edges of his lips. She looped out of his path and zipped past Lucresi as the purple dragon gave chase.

"Get back here, Cynder!" Spyro followed her maneuver and tried to close the gap between them. But as he neared the black dragoness, she rolled to the side and curved around in a different direction, making Spyro turn his momentum around completely before he can give chase once more.

They dipped and dodged about in the air for hours as they played, but their actions steadily got on Lucresi's nerves, the earth dragoness still hurting inside from having Drifton taken away from her. She knew that he didn't share her feelings towards him, but she still was sad, and she scowled at the dragons accompanying her for playing at a time like this. Being slightly older than them, she now felt a certain authority, but she knew that she would not be listened to if she tried to exert it. Spyro and Cynder were just so much more experienced in this than she was so she kept her mouth shut.

The two dragons finally felt the strength leave their limbs as the sun was brushing against the horizon, and they came to the decision that they should stop for the night. The group of three descended to the forest below and found a small burned out area. Lucresi found a large hollowed out tree trunk, big enough for the three of them to lie in comfortably. Cynder lay down on the soft grass and Spyro curled around her, both soon succumbing to the dark grasp of sleep.

But slumber was not that simple to obtain for Lucresi. She tossed and turned on the earth beneath her, finally snapping her eyes open as beads of sweat formed over her scales. Her breaths came short, her mind racing as she glanced around the burned out section of the forest, no life showing through the layer of ash outside the tree. Emotions roiled within her body, spilling over into physical form as small droplets of warm water seeping from the corners of her eyes. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned her forlorn gaze towards the sky, staring up at the glowing specks of light that lay beyond their world. _Oh Ancestors…where is he?_ The stars above her went on flickering, looking down on the earth dragoness with an unrelenting intensity.

Her thoughts calmed, the gentle light radiating from above soothing her inner being a small peace. The stars above were watching her, and she felt her eyes drooping under their unrelenting shine. Her limbs grew heavy and she found herself drifting into the world of dreams.

--------------------- ------------------------- ------------------- ----------

Pain. Beyond imagination. The burning sensation filled his mind and set his entire body on fire. A feral scream of hurt erupted from his maw and he jerked his body forward, only to be yanked back to his original position by the chains that held him there. A film of red covered his vision, the pain so intense that he could no longer perceive anything with his senses save for the massive amount of hurt taking hold of his form. His mind was devoid of all thoughts but one. _Make it stop!_ He yelled the line over and over in his head as he lay with his paws over his head, as if he could protect himself from the excruciating feeling rampaging through his nerves.

After hours of bearing through the pain, the haze finally lifted from his vision and he could see his place of imprisonment. The hurt still remained, but it lessened to a small trickle in his senses, and he could ignore it. His gaze flicked around the small stone room. There was a door at the other end of the room, but it was solid wood and he could not see through it to whatever lay beyond. His dark blue eyes roved over the entire room until they came to rest on the restraints attached to his legs and tail. He lightly pulled on them and saw that they disappeared into the floor a few feet behind him.

A sound reached his ears besides that of his own breathing. Footsteps echoed down whatever lay outside his door and they grew closer to the entrance. Suddenly the door swung open and he gasped. A pair of apes stood on either side of the opening and between them stood a small purple dragon that he knew so well. His eyes grew in shock and horror as the purple dragon strode forward, leaving the apes at the door.

"Spyro? What are you doing here?" He spat out at the dragon approaching him. "What's going on?"

A sneer appeared on the dragon's snout and he stopped his walking to stand directly in front of his prisoner. "Drifton, it's so nice to see you again. And what am I doing here? You'll find out soon enough." He nodded to the apes and they came forward with a sharp piece of metal in each of their hands that Drifton had never seen before. "No one can hear you scream, Drifton. So go ahead, let out as many as you want. It makes this all the more enjoyable."

Drifton's horror morphed into sheer terror as the apes stepped towards him with the metal instruments raised above their heads. One brought it down across his side, opening a shallow gash from the dark yellow scales and crimson tears of blood leapt to his scales from his veins. The other ape slashed his metal object across Drifton's chest, and more of the life giving liquid oozed from his body with the cut left behind. Pain once more coursed through his limbs and his mind fogged over from the feeling.

Then the slashing stopped and he felt his body moving. The movement was then halted, and he felt his frame crushed against the stone wall that stood behind him. He reopened his eyes and saw Spyro's sneering visage right in front of his own face. The dark yellow dragon was pinned to the wall by the slightly smaller purple dragon, and he felt his wings crumpled painfully between him and the wall. Spyro once more spoke, his tone malevolent and cruel.

"You will be broken, you can not resist. You will die before you are set free, so don't think of trying to escape. You can't and no one is coming to save you." Spyro pressed down harder on Drifton's left foreleg and the dark yellow dragon cried out in pain as he felt the bone snap under his former friend's paw. Then Spyro let his body drop back to the floor where he landed in a crumpled pile of blood and tears. The purple dragon turned and strode out of the room with the apes following him.

Drifton was alone once more in the cold room, the only sound being soft sobs of pain originating from the lightning dragon.

**Hmm....well, there you have it. until next time, I'm out!**

**Laters!  
**


	4. Heartbroken

**Welcome back, we have a special treat for you today. Here is the next part of The Stars are Calling. Ain't got much to say, so Enjoy! R&R!**

**Heartbroken**

Spyro awoke with a start after his dream, feeling his ice powers flowing through him once more. He glanced out of their small shelter and noticed the sun rising just over the horizon, shooting radiant colors off into the morning sky. The purple dragon smiles at the sight and gently nudges Cynder, waking her with a few soft words.

"Cynder, wake up. Look at this." The black dragoness groaned once and lifted her head, gazing out at the beautiful spectacle of nature laid out before them.

"It's so pretty…." Cynder smiled as well, resting her head against Spyro's chest just underneath his chin. She sighs and closes her eyes, listening to her love's heartbeat.

Another groan sounded from beside them and Lucresi stood to her paws, stretching out her stiff muscles. She cast a glare at the two dragons, rolling her shoulders and arching her back to rid them of tension. Spyro glanced sideways and caught her glare, confusion trickling in through his happiness. But as soon as he had merely glimpsed the stare, it vanished, Lucresi's expression turning neutral again. She strode out of the hollowed out tree and turned back to them.

"We should keep going; we need to cover as much ground as possible." She spread her wings for emphasis.

Spyro nodded and Cynder moved out from beside him, both unfurling their wings and bringing them down in a cloud of dust. Lucresi followed them and they were once again flying over the wilderness, the two younger dragons enjoying the total freedom of their flight.

As they flew, Lucresi's thoughts turned to Drifton. _Why did he save me if he is in love with Cynder? It doesn't make sense to me. The only way is if…_ she shook her head. _No…he isn't. I'm sure._

Spyro flew over to her when he saw her distant stare and asked her, "Is everything alright, Lucresi?"

The earth dragoness chased her thoughts away and forced a smile, trying to fool the purple dragon. "I'm fine, Spyro, thanks for asking!" she kept her strange smile plastered over her features and Spyro looked at her oddly.

"Whatever you say Lucresi…" He veered back to converse with Cynder.

Lucresi sighed, turning back to face in front of her. The trees rushed past beneath her and she summoned her earth powers to see if she couldn't sense anything hidden in the dense foliage. But nothing other than the occasional woodland critter came into her spectrum of sense. She continued this surveillance for many hours, trying to locate a place that could possibly hold the lightning dragon they were searching for, but to no avail. There was nothing to be found within her range, and as they moved onwards, still nothing came to her attention.

Hours flew by and they found nothing out of the ordinary, coming across a small village inhabited by moles, but nothing out of place for their location.

As the sun kissed the far off horizon, Cynder felt her limbs grow heavy and she began to lose altitude in her weariness. Spyro dropped to her side and placed his wing under her, holding her up as they glided down to the forest floor. Lucresi joined them against a tall tree and they fell asleep gathered around each other.

From within the shadows of the ancient forest, a pair of dark emerald eyes settled upon the trio, a smile coming to their owner's face.

--------------- ---------------- ------------------ ---------- ----------

Drifton sat on the cold stone floor, the familiar dull ache of old pain lying within his limbs. He had been left alone for quite some time now, Spyro having not shown his face in the dark yellow dragon's cell for quite some time now. Drifton slid to his belly, trying to find a comfortable position after he was so rudely awakened from his rest by a pair of apes wielding their strange metal weapons, leaving him with a fresh set of gashes and cuts. But no comfort came, only a fresh wave of hurt from the snapped bone in his front leg. A grimace overcame his features and he closed his eyes, trying to block out the feeling. Whispers came to his ears, the sounds of his thoughts taking a physical form in his misery. A particularly dark voice broke through the muddle.

_**It's never going to stop, Drifton. No one's coming for you, they have abandoned you.**_

The malevolent voice sent fear lancing down Drifton's spine, chilling his nerves with the cold sense of fear. He withdrew his thoughts and let the other whispers drown out the evil sound. His eyelids clenched tighter against themselves as he heard the door to his cell open, and a chill wind breezed in, heavy with the familiar scent of dragon. But his mind grew confused. It was different, altered from that of Spyro's the many times that the purple dragon had entered in that very manner. But this was changed, somewhat…. enticing, to the lightning dragon.

He wrenched his eyes open to a sight that brought his entire body statue still. Standing in the doorway, was none other than the dragoness he found his mind drifting towards during his few glorious moments without pain.

He exhaled in shock, a single word leaving his parted lips with the breath. "Cynder…?" He gazed at the black dragoness with his eyes wide in disbelief.

She strode forward, her tail swaying back and forth with her scythe blade flashing in the miniscule light provided by two small flames burning in ceramic pots on either side of the door. No apes were to bee seen.

Drifton's heart leapt. Had she come here to rescue him? Had she finally realized that he loved her? He hobbled forward until the chains prevented him from moving any farther. "Cynder I knew-" his words were cut off by her tail blade swiping across his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood from the shallow wound. A tear sprang to his eye with the sting of the blow going beyond that of physical pain, driving the icy dagger of desertion deep into his heart.

Cynder's once beautiful features twisted into a sadistic sneer, making Drifton's heart all but stop in fear. She brought the weapon up under his chin, lifting it with the blunt edge. "Look at you… pathetic. Not even worth the title of 'dragon.'" She spun, bringing razor sharp claws across his side and rending the scales open. "Still thinking that you might be saved? Who would come? No one cares about you, and there's no hope for you left." She brought the sharp edge of her blade against his throat. "I could just kill you right here…" The black dragoness placed a tiny amount of pressure on the edge, just enough to draw blood from the dragon. "But then I couldn't have my fun."

Drifton broke down, the pain being nothing compared to the hurt emanating from his broken heart. "Why are you doing this?"

A malicious cackle sounded from the dark dragoness. "Why? Because I can!" She lunged toward him again, her claws outstretched and her eyes gleaming with a sadistic bloodlust. His body lifted up in the air under her strong claws and he flew through the air until he came to the end of his restraints and he swung down to crash painfully against the ground. He felt one of his ribs crack under the intense pressure, and he grimaced, letting out a scream that just made Cynder smile.

**Ouch, that has to hurt...**

**Laters!  
**


End file.
